Read the following text

It is 2 a.m. and you are watching your favourite serial. You were supposed to be in bed hours ago, but
you forgot the time because of TV.
Does it sound familiar? If so you may be addicted to TV. TV has some funny effects on the brain which
are similar to the effects of addictive drugs. Television is a constant element in our life. Even when we are
not actively engaged in watching TV, we turn it on for companionship. We depend on TV for entertainment,
news, education, culture, weather, sports and even music.
The latest study by the Kaiser Family Foundation indicates that this generation is addicted to TV. The
study found that kids, aged 8 -18, watch about 4 hours of TV per day. On top of TV, they spend a couple of
hours playing video games and using computers.
The large amount of time spent motionlessly staring at a screen is dangerous to your health and
growth. Numerous studies show a relationship between watching TV and obesity. Nowadays children watch
every channel and programme, and while some of them are educational and increase young peoples
knowledge about the world, some others show childrens poor eating habits through commercials for fast
food, like hamburgers and pizza. Besides, they spend too much time sitting in front of TV and they dont do
any exercise.
To keep any TV watching to a healthy level, parents should set time limits to how much and what
children can watch. They should also choose programmes carefully and help kids find other things to do
instead of only watching TV.
Todays generation is labelled the M (Media) Generation. Can you guess why?

B. Find evidence in the text for the following statements:

TV addiction may have health consequences identical to drug addiction.
_________________________________________________________________________
TV can contribute to childrens obesity.
_________________________________________________________________________
Some programmes have a negative influence on kids eating habits.
_________________________________________________________________________
Instead of doing exercise, children watch too much TV.
_________________________________________________________________________
Parents should limit the time kids may watch TV.
_________________________________________________________________________

C. Match the words with their equivalents: (4th paragraph)

1. amount

A. harmful

1. ____

2. staring

B. advertisements on television

2. ____

3. dangerous

C. that teach you something

3. ____

4. educational

D. looking at something for a long time

5. commercials

E. quantity

4. ____
5. ____

D. Answer the following questions:

1. Why do people turn on the television even when they are not watching it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. What kind of programmes can people watch on TV?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. How can television contribute to childrens obesity?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. What should parents do, besides setting limits to the time kids can watch TV?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
5. Do you think you are part of the M Generation? Why / Why not?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

E. Write a text (about 100 words) expressing your opinion about television.
These questions may help you:

Is watching TV one of your favourite activities or do you prefer doing other things?

How often do you watch TV?

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

series
cartoon
comedy
documentary
quiz show

1. TV has some funny effects on the brain which are similar to the effects of addictive drugs.
2. The large amount of time spent motionlessly staring at a screen is dangerous to your health and
growth. Numerous studies show a relationship between watching TV and obesity.
3. Nowadays children watch every channel and programme, and while some of them ... others show
childrens poor eating habits through commercials for fast food, like hamburgers and pizza.
4. Besides, they spend too much time sitting in front of TV and they dont do any exercise.
5. ... parents should set time limits to how much and what children can watch.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

E
D
A
C
B

amount
staring
dangerous
educational
commercials

quantity
looking at something for a long time
harmful
that teach you something
advertisements on television

1. People turn on the television even when they are not watching it because it is part of their lives and
they need it for companionship.
2. They can watch different types of programmes: entertainment, news, education, culture, weather,
sports and music.
3. Television can contribute to childrens obesity because children spend a lot of time sitting in front of
TV and they dont do any exercise. Besides, TV commercials persuade them to eat fast food.
4. Besides setting limits to the time kids can watch TV, parents should also control what they watch and
they should help them find other interesting things to do instead of only watching TV.
5. Personal answer.

Personal answer